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'''Robert A. Sungenis''' (born 1955) is an [[United States|American]] [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] author of [[Christian apologetics|apologetic]] and [[polemic]]al works critiquing the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] doctrines of "[[Faith Alone]]" and "[[Scripture Alone]]". He is an advocate of [[Geocentric model#Religious and contemporary adherence to geocentrism|a religious belief that the Earth is the center of the universe]], and is critical of [[Physical cosmology|current scientific theories of cosmology]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://popspective.net/2016/08/15/principle-uses-pseudo-science-challenge-understanding-universe/|title='The Principle' Uses Pseudo-Science to Challenge Understanding of Universe|last=Bradley|first=Tony|date=2016-08-15|website=PopSpective|access-date=2017-02-10}}</ref> {{Unreliable source|date=February 2017}}<ref>http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/film-review-the-principle-1201409088/</ref> He has made statements about [[Jews]] and [[Judaism]] which have been criticized for being [[antisemitic]].
'''Robert A. Sungenis''' (born ca. 1955)<ref name="wp"/> is an [[United States|American]] [[Traditionalist Catholic]] who is known for his Catholic [[Christian apologetics|apologetic]]s, antisemitism, and advocacy for [[Geocentric model#Religious and contemporary adherence to geocentrism|a religious belief that the Earth is the center of the universe]] and opposition to the scientific facts of [[physical cosmology]].


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Robert Sungenis was brought up in a [[Roman Catholic]] household and converted to become a [[Protestant]] as a young man.<ref name=Wilkin>{{cite journal|last1=Wilkin|first1=Bob|title=A Response to Robert Sungenis' ''Not by Faith Alone''|journal=Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society|date=Autumn 2003|pages=3-16|url=http://faithalone.org/journal/2003ii/wilkin.pdf}}</ref> He obtained his B.A. in religion from [[George Washington University]] in 1979, an M.A. in theology from [[Westminster Theological Seminary]], a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian seminary located in [[Glenside, Pennsylvania]], in 1982.<ref name=Wilkin/><ref name=TimesNews2006/>
Robert Sungenis was raised in a Catholic family, but became a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] at age 19.<ref name="aboutus">{{Cite journal|url=http://catholicintl.com/aboutus/b-robert.htm |accessdate=2010-12-13 |title=Biography |publisher=Catholic Apologetics International |postscript=<!--None--> |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309082231/http://catholicintl.com/aboutus/b-robert.htm |archivedate=March 9, 2010 }} (Note: Site for Catholic Apologetics International, catholicintl.com, re-directs to Mr Sungenis' own website.)</ref>{{Dead link|date=February 2017}} Robert Sungenis obtained his B.A. in religion from [[George Washington University]] in 1979, an M.A. in theology from [[Westminster Theological Seminary]], a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian seminary located in [[Glenside, Pennsylvania]], in 1982, and a Ph.D. in [[religious studies]] from the [[Calamus International University]] (CIU), an [[Unaccredited institutions of higher education|unaccredited]] distance-learning institution incorporated in the [[Vanuatu|Republic of Vanuatu]].<ref>https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_1kaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XCYEAAAAIBAJ&dq=robert-sungenis&pg=6714%2C4991566</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foreigncredits.com/resources/unaccredited-universities/ |title=Unaccredited Universities |website=Foreigncredits.com |accessdate= June 28, 2016}}</ref><ref>Several states have had lists of unaccredited institutions which include CIU.<br>Maine: {{cite web |url=http://www.maine.gov/doe/highered/nonaccredited/list/c.html |title=Maine DOE - List of Non-Accredited Schools - C |publisher=Maine Department of Education |accessdate= June 24, 2016}}<br>Michigan: {{cite web|publisher=State of Michigan |url=http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf |title=Colleges and universities not accredited by an accrediting body of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628214640/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf |archivedate=June 28, 2011}} ([http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf no longer being maintained])<br> Texas: {{cite web |url=http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/?objectid=EF4C3C3B-EB44-4381-6673F760B3946FBB |title=THECB - Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas |publisher=Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |date= |author= |accessdate= June 24, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last= Brown |first= George |editor-last= Carmichael |editor-first= Rob |year= 2004 |title= Proceedings of the Australian Universities Quality Forum 2004 |chapter= Protecting Australia’s Higher Education System: A Proactive Versus Reactive Approach in Review (1999–2004) | publisher= Australian Universities Quality Agency |pages= 89–98 |isbn=1877090336 |url=http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.117.9504&rep=rep1&type=pdf |accessdate=June 28, 2016}}</ref> Sungenis returned to Catholicism in 1992 at the age of 37.{{cn|date=February 2017}} Having previously worked for and studied under [[Harold Camping]] during his time as a Protestant, Sungenis authored a book critiquing Camping's eschatology.<ref>{{Cite journal | title = Shockwave Two Thousand! The Harold Camping 1994 Debacle | publisher = New Leaf Press | date = 1994 | first = R. | last = Sungenis | first2 = S. | last2 = Temple | first3 = D.A. | last3 = Lewis | url = | postscript = <!--None--> }}</ref> The story of his conversion to Catholicism is chronicled in the first of the ''Surprised By Truth'' books edited by Catholic apologist and author [[Patrick Madrid]].<ref>{{Cite book | title = Surprised by Truth: 11 Converts Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic | first = P. | last = Madrid | url = | publisher = Basilica Press | date = 1994 | isbn = 978-0-9642610-8-2 | postscript = <!--None-->}}</ref><ref>https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_1kaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XCYEAAAAIBAJ&dq=robert-sungenis&pg=6714%2C4991566</ref>


He converted back to Roman Catholicism in 1992.<ref name=Wilkin/><ref>{{Cite book | title = Surprised by Truth: 11 Converts Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic | first = P. | last = Madrid | url = | publisher = Basilica Press | date = 1994 | isbn = 978-0-9642610-8-2 | postscript = <!--None-->}}</ref>
==Faith alone==


In 2006 he earned a Ph.D. in [[religious studies]] from the [[Calamus International University]] (CIU), an [[Unaccredited institutions of higher education|unaccredited]] distance-learning institution incorporated in the [[Vanuatu|Republic of Vanuatu]].<ref name=TimesNews2006>{{cite news|last1=Sefton|first1=Drew|title=In this View, the Sun Revolves around the Earth|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_1kaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XCYEAAAAIBAJ&dq=robert-sungenis&pg=6714,4991566|work=[[Religion News Service]] via The Times-News|date=March 30, 2006}}</ref><ref>On CIU, see:<br>*{{cite web |url=http://www.foreigncredits.com/resources/unaccredited-universities/ |title=Unaccredited Universities |website=Foreigncredits.com |accessdate= June 28, 2016}} <br>* {{Citation |last= Brown |first= George |editor-last= Carmichael |editor-first= Rob |year= 2004 |title= Proceedings of the Australian Universities Quality Forum 2004 |chapter= Protecting Australia’s Higher Education System: A Proactive Versus Reactive Approach in Review (1999–2004) | publisher= Australian Universities Quality Agency |pages= 89–98 |isbn=1877090336 |url=http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.117.9504&rep=rep1&type=pdf |accessdate=June 28, 2016}} <br>*States have had lists of unaccredited institutions which include CIU.<br>*Maine: {{cite web |url=http://www.maine.gov/doe/highered/nonaccredited/list/c.html |title=Maine DOE - List of Non-Accredited Schools - C |publisher=Maine Department of Education |accessdate= June 24, 2016}}<br>*Michigan: {{cite web|publisher=State of Michigan |url=http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf |title=Colleges and universities not accredited by an accrediting body of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628214640/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf |archivedate=June 28, 2011}} ([http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf no longer being maintained])<br>*Texas: {{cite web |url=http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/?objectid=EF4C3C3B-EB44-4381-6673F760B3946FBB |title=THECB - Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas |publisher=Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |date= |author= |accessdate= June 24, 2016}}</ref>
Sungenis is known for his defense of the [[Catholic Church]]'s [[doctrine]] of [[justification (theology)|justification]] and his critique of the [[Protestant]] doctrine of salvation by [[faith alone]]. In 1997, he published ''Not By Faith Alone'' which has received praise from [[S. M. Hutchens]], the Senior Editor of Touchstone Magazines, and an endorsement from [[Fabian Bruskewitz]], the Roman Catholic Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, but criticism from Robert N. Wilkin, the Editor of ''Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society''.<ref>[http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2003ii/wilkin.pdf A Response To Robert Sungenis's Not By Faith Alone]</ref><ref>[http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=11-05-050-b Faith Without Ethics]</ref><ref>{{cite interview|url=http://www.modernreformation.org/digitaledition.php?issue=95|title=Not By Faith Alone: The Roman Catholic Doctrine of Justification|pages=42-46|date=September–October 2007|publisher=White Horse Inn|accessdate=2013-07-10}}</ref> Sungenis has been interviewed by [[Michael Horton (theologian)|Michael Horton]]<ref name=Horton>{{cite web|title=White Horse Inn- Roman Catholics and Justification Part 1|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yixypHuCkx4|website=YouTube|publisher=White Horse Inn|accessdate=14 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Horton II">{{cite web|title=White Horse Inn- Roman Catholics and Justification Part 2|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCvqkCMZj5U|website=YouTube|publisher=White Horse Inn|accessdate=14 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Horton III">{{cite web|title=White Horse Inn- Roman Catholics and Justification Part 3|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_obdMSOHkwc|website=YouTube|publisher=White Horse Inn|accessdate=14 April 2015}}</ref> on the Catholic Church's doctrine of justification and has debated [[James White (theologian)|James White]]<ref name=White>{{cite web|title=The Great Debate V - Justification by Faith - Sungenis|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZc4D-UrAeU|website=YouTube|publisher=Alpha & Omega Ministries|accessdate=14 April 2015}}</ref> on whether or not sinners are justified by grace through [[faith alone]] apart from human works of [[merit (Catholicism)|merit]].

==Traditionalist Catholic apologetics==
After his conversion back to Roman Catholicism Sungenis became known as a radical [[Traditionalist Catholic]]. He wrote a book of [[apologetics]], explaining his view of the [[Catholic Church]]'s [[doctrine]] of [[justification (theology)|justification]] and his critique of the [[Protestant]] doctrine of salvation by [[faith alone]].<ref name="wp"/><ref name=Wilkin/><ref name=TimesNews2006/><ref name=Hutchens>{{Citation|last1=Hutchens|first1=S. M.|title=Faith Without Ethics, Book Review|url=http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=11-05-050-b|work=Touchstone Magazine|volume=11|number=5|date=September–October 1998}}</ref><ref name=int/>


==Jews and Judaism==
==Jews and Judaism==
Sungenis's controversial views of the [[Jewish people]] and [[Judaism]] have been sharply criticized by fellow Catholics and by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] as being [[antisemitic]].<ref name=T>{{cite web|last=Gettys|first=Travis|title=Why are geocentrists trying to undo centuries worth of accepted science? (Hint: The Jews)|url=http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/12/why-are-geocentrists-trying-to-undo-centuries-worth-of-accepted-science-hint-the-jews/|publisher=RawStory|accessdate=30 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="wp">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/12/AR2008091203077_pf.html|title=Catechism Edit 'Troubling,' Jewish Leaders Say Deletion of Passage on Moses in Catholic Handbook Questioned |last=Burke |first=Daniel|date=September 13, 2008|publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]''|pages=B09 |accessdate=2009-04-10}}</ref><ref name=int>{{cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2007/12-anti-semitic-radical-traditionalist-catholic-groups|title=The Dirty Dozen|date=Winter 2006 |work=Intelligence Report |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|accessdate=2009-04-10}}</ref><ref name=jc>{{cite web|last=Lipman|first=Jennifer|title=Speaker row cancels Catholic conference|url=http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/50332/speaker-row-cancels-catholic-conference|publisher=The Jewish Chronicle Online|accessdate=11 July 2011}}</ref> In 2002, he claimed it was a fact that no one had ever proven that 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust and that demographic statistics show no real difference in the number of Jews living before and after World War II. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, he also "repeated a series of ancient [[anti-Semitic canards]]" and later wrote about the involvement of Jews and Israel in a Zionist Satanic conspiracy aimed at Satan ruling the world.<ref name=int/><ref name=jc/> Sungenis has also claimed that Israel orchestrated the [[JFK assassination]] in retaliation for the president's opposition to Israeli nuclear weapons.<ref name="kennedy">{{cite web|url=//www.catholicintl.com/noncatholicissues/neo-jewish.htm |title=Neo-Cons }}{{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
Sungenis's controversial views of the [[Jewish people]] and [[Judaism]] have been sharply criticized by fellow Catholics and by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] as being [[antisemitic]].<ref name=T>{{cite web|last=Gettys|first=Travis|title=Why are geocentrists trying to undo centuries worth of accepted science? (Hint: The Jews)|url=http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/12/why-are-geocentrists-trying-to-undo-centuries-worth-of-accepted-science-hint-the-jews/|publisher=RawStory|accessdate=30 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="wp">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/12/AR2008091203077.html |title=Catechism Edit 'Troubling,' Jewish Leaders Say Deletion of Passage on Moses in Catholic Handbook Questioned |last=Burke |first=Daniel|date=September 13, 2008|publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]''|pages=B09}}</ref><ref name=int>{{cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2007/12-anti-semitic-radical-traditionalist-catholic-groups|title=The Dirty Dozen|date=Winter 2006 |work=Intelligence Report |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|accessdate=2009-04-10}}</ref><ref name=jc>{{cite web|last=Lipman|first=Jennifer|title=Speaker row cancels Catholic conference|url=http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/50332/speaker-row-cancels-catholic-conference|publisher=The Jewish Chronicle Online|accessdate=11 July 2011}}</ref> In 2002, he said it was a fact that no one had ever proven that 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust and that demographic statistics show no real difference in the number of Jews living before and after World War II. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, he also "repeated a series of ancient [[anti-Semitic canards]]" and later wrote about the involvement of Jews and Israel in a Zionist Satanic conspiracy aimed at Satan ruling the world.<ref name=int/><ref name=jc/>
In May 2014, [[Michael Voris]] interviewed Sungenis about his new movie, ''[[The Principle]]''. During the interview, Voris defended Sungenis in regard to his views on the Jewish people and then asked him, "Are you a Holocaust denier?" and "Do you hate Jews?" Sungenis answered "no" to both questions.<ref name="Mic'd Up">{{cite web|title=Mic'd Up "The Principle, Under Attack"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvR7pMqAEso|website=Youtube|publisher=ChurchMilitantTV|at=6:50 and 41:30 mark(Jewish issues), 15:10 and 35:20 mark(Tegmark), 19:30 mark(Krauss), 25:05 mark(Barbour), 29:20 mark(Kaku)|accessdate=15 June 2014|date=30 May 2014}}</ref>


In 2006 Sungenis started complaining on his blog about the [[Catechism#United_States_Catholic_Catechism_for_Adults|United States Catholic Catechism for Adults]] (USCCA) which at that time read, "Thus the covenant that God made with the Jewish people through Moses remains eternally valid for them." Sungenis believed it implied that the Jews can be saved without believing in Jesus, and people who read his blog began repeating his complaint to Catholic authorities. In the summer of 2008, the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]] (USCCB) voted to remove the sentence and replace it with a quote from the [[Epistle to the Romans]]: "To the Jewish people, whom God first chose to hear his word, belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ". Jewish leaders complained that the change was antisemitic. Monsignor Daniel Kutys said that the sentence was changed because of the confusion Sungenis' blog was generating, and also said that the change was made to skirt the issue rather address it directly.<ref name="wp"/>
===United States Catholic Catechism for Adults===
Sungenis wrote to the Vatican and met with officials from the bishops' conference in order to voice his concerns about a sentence in the [[Catechism#United_States_Catholic_Catechism_for_Adults|United States Catholic Catechism for Adults]] (USCCA) which read,


By 2008 his local bishop had instructed him to stop writing about Jews and to remove the name "Catholic" from his blog.<ref name="wp"/>
''"Thus the covenant that God made with the Jewish people through Moses remains eternally valid for them".''

Sungenis believed it implied that the Jews can be saved without believing in Jesus. In the summer of 2008, the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]] (USCCB) voted to remove the sentence and replace it with

''"To the Jewish people, whom God first chose to hear his word, 'belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ".''

Monsignor Daniel Kutys stated that the sentence was changed because of the confusion Sungenis' blog was generating with the public regarding the statement, but disagreed with Sungenis' explanation for needing the change. Kutys agrees that Sungenis may have been the first to raise the issue about the sentence.<ref name="wp"/>


==Geocentrism==
==Geocentrism==
According to Sungenis, he became interested in the [[geocentric model]] of the universe and its meaning around 2002, after he read the book, ''Geocentricity'' by Gerardus D Bouw.<ref name=TimesNews2006/> By 2006 he had become known as his an advocate for this pseudoscientific theory which is related to [[intelligent design]] and [[creationism]] in that it challenges scientific findings based on the misunderstanding that scientific knowledge undermines faith in God and the authority of religious institutions.<ref name=TimesNews2006/> He also said that the earth does not rotate.<ref name=TimesNews2006/> As of 2006, he offered $1,000 via his group, Catholic Apologetics International, to anyone who could prove that earth moves around the sun.<ref name=TimesNews2006/>
Sungenis believes that the observable universe would fit a [[geocentric model]], with the most likely model having Earth immobile at the center of mass of the universe and everything else revolving around it. <ref>{{cite web|title=Interview Request from Der Spiegel in Germany on Geocentrism|url=http://galileowaswrong.com/interview-request-from-der-spiegel-in-germany-on-geocentrism/|accessdate=13 April 2014}}</ref> He wrote the book series ''Galileo Was Wrong'' and produced the film ''Journey to the Center of the Universe'' describing his ideas on geocentrism.

In May 2015, Sungenis initiated the [[heliocentric]] challenge claiming that $100,000 would be awarded to anyone who could provide qualified experimental proof that the Earth revolves around the Sun.<ref name=Challenge>{{cite web|last1=Sungenis|first1=Robert|title=The $100,000 Heliocentric Challenge|url=http://galileowaswrong.com/the-100000-heliocentric-challenge/|website=Galileo Was Wrong|publisher=Catholic Apologetics International Publishing|accessdate=29 May 2015}}</ref> Prior to publishing ''Galileo Was Wrong'', Sungenis had a similar $1000 geocentric challenge.<ref>https://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/PSEUDOSC/Geocentrism.HTM</ref><ref>https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_1kaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XCYEAAAAIBAJ&dq=robert-sungenis&pg=6714%2C4991566</ref>


By 2011 he was known as the leader of a small group of conservative Roman Catholics who were advocating for the Roman Catholic Church to go back to the stance it took in condemning [[Galileo]], and who viewed the geocentric model as part of a conspiracy to undermine the authority of the church in society more generally.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Brachear|first1=Manya A.|title=Catholic movement condemns Galileo|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-04/news/ct-met-galileo-was-wrong-20110704_1_modern-church-universe-splinter-group|work=Chicago Tribune|date=July 4, 2011|language=en}}</ref> He runs a blog called ''Galileo Was Wrong'' in which he promotes these ideas.<ref name=PopSci/>
===The Principle===
{{main article|The Principle}}
In 2014, Sungenis was an executive producer of ''The Principle'', a documentary which is critical of the Copernican Principle, <ref>http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/film-review-the-principle-1201409088/</ref> and features interviews with [[Lawrence Krauss]], [[Michio Kaku]], [[Max Tegmark]], [[Julian Barbour]], and [[George F. R. Ellis]]. There was controversy surrounding the film and its participants after a trailer was released on YouTube and the narrator [[Kate Mulgrew]] said that she was misinformed as to the purpose of the documentary.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://time.com/54684/star-trek-kate-mulgrew-the-principle-film/ |title= Star Trek’s Kate Mulgrew Says She Was Duped on Film Narration |date= 8 April 2014 |accessdate= 9 February 2017 |first= David |last= Winograd |work= TIME}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://io9.com/why-are-all-these-physicists-in-a-weird-creationist-doc-1560470757 |title= Why Are All These Physicists in a Weird Creationist Documentary? |date= 7 April 2014 |accessdate= 9 February 2017 |first= Annalee |last= Newitz |work= io9}}</ref> A trailer for the film states that science has found evidence that God exists.<ref name="TPM">{{Cite web |url=http://www.theprinciplemovie.com |title=One of the most heated debates of the century |publisher=theprinciplemovie.com |access-date=9 February 2017}}</ref>


In 2014, Sungenis, along with Rick Delano, was an executive producer of ''The Principle'', a documentary which advocates for his ideas about geocentrism.<ref name=Variety>{{cite news|last1=Barker|first1=Andrew|title=Film Review: ‘The Principle’|url=http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/film-review-the-principle-1201409088/|work=Variety|date=23 January 2015}}</ref><ref name=Wiesner>{{cite journal|last1=Wiesner|first1=Matthew P.|title=Modern Geocentrism: A Case Study of Pseudoscience in Astronomy|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|date=January–February 2015|volume=39|issue=1}}</ref> The movie features interviews with [[Lawrence Krauss]], [[Michio Kaku]], [[Max Tegmark]], [[Julian Barbour]], and [[George F. R. Ellis]], and was narrated by [[Kate Mulgrew]], and had its [[15 minutes of fame]] in 2014 when Mulgrew and the physicists said that the filmmakers did not honestly explain the purpose of their film to them.<ref name=Wiesner/><ref name=PopSci>{{Cite news|url=http://www.popsci.com/article/science/how-conspiracy-theorist-duped-worlds-biggest-physicists|title=The Conspiracy Theorist Who Duped The World's Biggest Physicists|work=[[Popular Science]]|date=May 7, 2014|last1=Lecher|first1=Colin}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://time.com/54684/star-trek-kate-mulgrew-the-principle-film/ |title= Star Trek’s Kate Mulgrew Says She Was Duped on Film Narration |date= 8 April 2014 |accessdate= 9 February 2017 |first= David |last= Winograd |work= TIME}}</ref><ref name=npr>{{Cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/04/08/300609595/why-physicists-are-in-a-film-promoting-an-earth-centered-universe|title=Why Physicists Are In A Film Promoting An Earth-Centered Universe|newspaper=NPR.org|access-date=2017-02-16|language=en}}</ref> The release date of the film was October 24, 2014, when it was screened at the Marcus Addison Cinema in [[Addison, Illinois]], according to the distributor [[Rocky Mountain Pictures]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/09/prweb12193474.htm |title= ‘THE PRINCIPLE - Rocky Mountain Pictures to Distribute Highly-Anticipated Documentary, Theatrically in North America. Film Set To Open in Chicago on October 24. |date= 25 September 2014 |accessdate= 25 September 2014 |first= |work= PR Web}}</ref> As of April 30, 2015 the film had grossed $89,543.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Principle (2014)|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=principle.htm|accessdate=17 February 2017|work=Box Office Mojo|language=en}}</ref>
==Publications==
*''Not By Faith Alone: The Biblical Evidence for the Catholic Doctrine of Justification'', Queenship Publishing (1996), 774 pp. ISBN 1-57918-008-6
*''Not By Scripture Alone: A Catholic Critique of the Protestant Doctrine of Sola Scriptura'', Queenship Publishing (1997), 650 pp. ISBN 1-57918-055-8
*''How Can I Get to Heaven? The Bible's Teaching on Salvation Made Easy to Understand'', Queenship Publishing (1997), 334 pp. ISBN 1-57918-007-8
*''Not By Bread Alone: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for the Eucharistic Sacrifice'', Queenship Publishing (2000), 450 pp. ISBN 1-57918-124-4
*''The Gospel According to Matthew (Catholic Apologetics Study Bible, Vol. 1)'', Queenship Publishing (2003), 427 pp. ISBN 1-57918-236-4
*''The Apocalypse of St. John (Catholic Apologetics Study Bible, Vol. 2)'', Queenship Publishing (2007), 544 pp. ISBN 1-57918-329-8
*''The Epistles of Romans and James (Catholic Apologetics Study Bible, Vol. 3)'', CAI Publishing, Inc. (2009), 665 pp. ISBN 0-9818660-6-9
*''The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1 – 11 (Catholic Apologetics Study Bible, Vol. 4)'', CAI Publishing, Inc. (2009), 692 pp. ISBN 0-9818660-7-7
*''The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Catholic Apologetics Study Bible, Vol. 5)'', CAI Publishing, Inc. (2009), 423 pp. ISBN 0-9818660-8-5
*''Galileo Was Wrong: The Church Was Right: The Scientific Evidence for Geocentrism'', (CAI Pub. Inc, 2009, 653 pages). ISBN 0-9818660-4-2
*''Speaking in Tongues: Sign of Blessing: Sign of Judgment: A Critical Analysis of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements'', (CAI Pub. Inc. 2010, 80 pages). ISBN 0-9841859-5-X
*''Catholic/Jewish Dialogue: Controversies and Corrections'', CAI Publishing, Inc. (2010), 734 pp. ISBN 0-9841859-3-3
*''Bob's Dictionary of Big Words (smaller version), CAI Publishing, Inc. 2011 ISBN 0-9841859-8-4
*''Bob's Dictionary of Big Words (larger version), CAI Publishing, Inc. 2011 ISBN 0-9841859-7-6
*''The Consecration of Russia: How Seven Popes Failed to Heed Heaven’s Command and Brought Turmoil to the Church and the World, Hometown Publications, Inc. copyright 2013, 384 pages, ISBN 978-0-9841859-9-3.
*''The Gospel According to John, CAI Publishing, Inc. 2011, 497 pages, ISBN 978-0-9841859-1-7.


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|35em}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://www.robertsungenis.org/?m=1 Robert Sungenis' Catholic website]
* [http://www.robertsungenis.org Robert Sungenis' website]
* [http://www.galileowaswrong.com/ ''Galileo Was Wrong'', Sungenis' website on geocentrism]
* [http://www.theprinciplemovie.com/ "The Principle Movie"]
* [https://gwwdvd.com/ "Journey to the Center of the Universe Movie"]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20160921153927/http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~mwiesner/Wiesner_geocentrism.pdf Skeptical Inquirer article by Matthew P. Wiesner about Sungenis]


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Revision as of 09:31, 17 February 2017

Robert A. Sungenis (born ca. 1955)[1] is an American Traditionalist Catholic who is known for his Catholic apologetics, antisemitism, and advocacy for a religious belief that the Earth is the center of the universe and opposition to the scientific facts of physical cosmology.

Biography

Robert Sungenis was brought up in a Roman Catholic household and converted to become a Protestant as a young man.[2] He obtained his B.A. in religion from George Washington University in 1979, an M.A. in theology from Westminster Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian seminary located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, in 1982.[2][3]

He converted back to Roman Catholicism in 1992.[2][4]

In 2006 he earned a Ph.D. in religious studies from the Calamus International University (CIU), an unaccredited distance-learning institution incorporated in the Republic of Vanuatu.[3][5]

Traditionalist Catholic apologetics

After his conversion back to Roman Catholicism Sungenis became known as a radical Traditionalist Catholic. He wrote a book of apologetics, explaining his view of the Catholic Church's doctrine of justification and his critique of the Protestant doctrine of salvation by faith alone.[1][2][3][6][7]

Jews and Judaism

Sungenis's controversial views of the Jewish people and Judaism have been sharply criticized by fellow Catholics and by the Southern Poverty Law Center as being antisemitic.[8][1][7][9] In 2002, he said it was a fact that no one had ever proven that 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust and that demographic statistics show no real difference in the number of Jews living before and after World War II. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, he also "repeated a series of ancient anti-Semitic canards" and later wrote about the involvement of Jews and Israel in a Zionist Satanic conspiracy aimed at Satan ruling the world.[7][9]

In 2006 Sungenis started complaining on his blog about the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) which at that time read, "Thus the covenant that God made with the Jewish people through Moses remains eternally valid for them." Sungenis believed it implied that the Jews can be saved without believing in Jesus, and people who read his blog began repeating his complaint to Catholic authorities. In the summer of 2008, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted to remove the sentence and replace it with a quote from the Epistle to the Romans: "To the Jewish people, whom God first chose to hear his word, belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ". Jewish leaders complained that the change was antisemitic. Monsignor Daniel Kutys said that the sentence was changed because of the confusion Sungenis' blog was generating, and also said that the change was made to skirt the issue rather address it directly.[1]

By 2008 his local bishop had instructed him to stop writing about Jews and to remove the name "Catholic" from his blog.[1]

Geocentrism

According to Sungenis, he became interested in the geocentric model of the universe and its meaning around 2002, after he read the book, Geocentricity by Gerardus D Bouw.[3] By 2006 he had become known as his an advocate for this pseudoscientific theory which is related to intelligent design and creationism in that it challenges scientific findings based on the misunderstanding that scientific knowledge undermines faith in God and the authority of religious institutions.[3] He also said that the earth does not rotate.[3] As of 2006, he offered $1,000 via his group, Catholic Apologetics International, to anyone who could prove that earth moves around the sun.[3]

By 2011 he was known as the leader of a small group of conservative Roman Catholics who were advocating for the Roman Catholic Church to go back to the stance it took in condemning Galileo, and who viewed the geocentric model as part of a conspiracy to undermine the authority of the church in society more generally.[10] He runs a blog called Galileo Was Wrong in which he promotes these ideas.[11]

In 2014, Sungenis, along with Rick Delano, was an executive producer of The Principle, a documentary which advocates for his ideas about geocentrism.[12][13] The movie features interviews with Lawrence Krauss, Michio Kaku, Max Tegmark, Julian Barbour, and George F. R. Ellis, and was narrated by Kate Mulgrew, and had its 15 minutes of fame in 2014 when Mulgrew and the physicists said that the filmmakers did not honestly explain the purpose of their film to them.[13][11][14][15] The release date of the film was October 24, 2014, when it was screened at the Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, Illinois, according to the distributor Rocky Mountain Pictures.[16] As of April 30, 2015 the film had grossed $89,543.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Burke, Daniel (September 13, 2008). "Catechism Edit 'Troubling,' Jewish Leaders Say Deletion of Passage on Moses in Catholic Handbook Questioned". The Washington Post. pp. B09. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d Wilkin, Bob (Autumn 2003). "A Response to Robert Sungenis' Not by Faith Alone" (PDF). Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society: 3–16.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Sefton, Drew (March 30, 2006). "In this View, the Sun Revolves around the Earth". Religion News Service via The Times-News.
  4. ^ Madrid, P. (1994). Surprised by Truth: 11 Converts Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic. Basilica Press. ISBN 978-0-9642610-8-2.
  5. ^ On CIU, see:
    *"Unaccredited Universities". Foreigncredits.com. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
    * Brown, George (2004), "Protecting Australia's Higher Education System: A Proactive Versus Reactive Approach in Review (1999–2004)", in Carmichael, Rob (ed.), Proceedings of the Australian Universities Quality Forum 2004, Australian Universities Quality Agency, pp. 89–98, ISBN 1877090336, retrieved June 28, 2016
    *States have had lists of unaccredited institutions which include CIU.
    *Maine: "Maine DOE - List of Non-Accredited Schools - C". Maine Department of Education. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
    *Michigan: "Colleges and universities not accredited by an accrediting body of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation" (PDF). State of Michigan. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2011. (no longer being maintained)
    *Texas: "THECB - Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas". Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  6. ^ Hutchens, S. M. (September–October 1998), "Faith Without Ethics, Book Review", Touchstone Magazine, vol. 11, no. 5
  7. ^ a b c "The Dirty Dozen". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Winter 2006. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
  8. ^ Gettys, Travis. "Why are geocentrists trying to undo centuries worth of accepted science? (Hint: The Jews)". RawStory. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  9. ^ a b Lipman, Jennifer. "Speaker row cancels Catholic conference". The Jewish Chronicle Online. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  10. ^ Brachear, Manya A. (July 4, 2011). "Catholic movement condemns Galileo". Chicago Tribune.
  11. ^ a b Lecher, Colin (May 7, 2014). "The Conspiracy Theorist Who Duped The World's Biggest Physicists". Popular Science.
  12. ^ Barker, Andrew (23 January 2015). "Film Review: 'The Principle'". Variety.
  13. ^ a b Wiesner, Matthew P. (January–February 2015). "Modern Geocentrism: A Case Study of Pseudoscience in Astronomy". Skeptical Inquirer. 39 (1).
  14. ^ Winograd, David (8 April 2014). "Star Trek's Kate Mulgrew Says She Was Duped on Film Narration". TIME. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  15. ^ "Why Physicists Are In A Film Promoting An Earth-Centered Universe". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  16. ^ "'THE PRINCIPLE - Rocky Mountain Pictures to Distribute Highly-Anticipated Documentary, Theatrically in North America. Film Set To Open in Chicago on October 24". PR Web. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  17. ^ "The Principle (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 17 February 2017.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Sungenis&oldid=765946906"